UnitedHealthcare drops most prior authorizations for rural providers

UnitedHealthcare will eliminate prior authorization requirements for most medical services for non-urgent care delivered by in-network providers in rural areas, effective immediately. The policy change is part of an initiative to improve access to care. Rural clinics with UHC contracts should audit current authorization queues and instruct staff to stop submitting PAs for newly affected services, though policies for drugs, medical devices, and out-of-network services remain unchanged. Review UHC's provider portal for the official service list.